Literary notes about Triad (AI summary)
In literature, the term “triad” is widely employed to signify a grouping of three related elements that together embody a unified concept. It appears in religious texts, for instance, to represent divine frameworks such as the Hindu triad—with Brahmá, Vishnu, and Śiva each fulfilling roles of creation, preservation, and destruction [1][2][3]—and in Taoist traditions where three deities coordinate the cosmic order [4][5]. Beyond the religious sphere, “triad” is used symbolically to illustrate balance and duality, as in the depiction of male and female principles merging through geometrical shapes [6][7][8], and it even finds a place in discussions of structural systems like musical chords formed by three notes [9]. Additionally, the term resonates in cultural narratives and allegorical discourses, underscoring the pervasive appeal of the number three as a motif for unity and complexity [10][11].
- He who is identified with the Hindu triad, i.e. the creator (Brahmá) the supporter (Vishnu) and the destroyer (Śiva).
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Brahmá, the Creator, is usually regarded as the first person of the divine triad of India.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Hence he is sometimes confounded with Brahmá, the creator or first person of the Triad.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Second person of Taoist triad, 124 Lion, The Green , 283 , 284 , 285 – 286 List of Promotions to Immortals .
— from Myths and Legends of China by E. T. C. Werner - Third person of the Taoist triad, 125 T’ai-wu Fu-jên .
— from Myths and Legends of China by E. T. C. Werner - It is essentially the same symbol as the crux ansata , and is emblematic of the male triad and the female unit.
— from Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism by Thomas Inman and M.R.C.S.E. John Newton - It symbolises the male triad, whilst the ring around it represents the female.
— from Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism by Thomas Inman and M.R.C.S.E. John Newton - The first represents a serpent, coiled so as to symbolise the male triad, and the crescent, the emblem of the yoni.
— from Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism by Thomas Inman and M.R.C.S.E. John Newton - It is built on a tonic and dominant bass—the triad of the tonic and the chord of the dominant seventh.
— from Chopin : the Man and His Music by James Huneker - Alchemy has its Symbolic Triad of Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury,—man consisting, according to the Hermetic philosophers, of Body, Soul, and Spirit.
— from Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Albert Pike - Not unlike the White Lotus is the secret society commonly known as the Triad but called by its members the Heaven and Earth Association.
— from Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 by Eliot, Charles, Sir
